Midland Main Line

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will ensure that the specification for the next franchise for the Midland main line will allow bidders to bring forward proposals for electric trains which are (a) new and (b) built in the UK.

Simon Burns: At the point of refranchising the Midland Mainline, we will seek rolling stock proposals from bidders which balance the needs of passengers and affordability and this is planned to involve the introduction of electric trains. While bidders may propose such units are new, procurement law would prevent them discriminating against non UK manufacturers.

Communications Data Bill (Draft)

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to publish the Communications Data Bill; and whether at the same time she will publish revised cost and impact assessments.

James Brokenshire: The Government is committed to legislating to ensure the law enforcement and intelligence agencies continue to have access to the communications data they need. The Joint Committee that scrutinised the Draft Bill recognised the importance of communications data as an investigative tool and accepted that there was a case for legislation which will provide the law enforcement authorities with some further access to communications data.
	A revised Communications Data Bill, incorporating the recommendations of the Joint Committee, will be introduced at the earliest possible opportunity.
	The revised impact assessment will be published alongside legislation as it is introduced to Parliament.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many tier 4 immigration applications were not completed within three weeks in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mark Harper: holding answer 14 February 2013
	Of the 234,715 Tier 4 visa applications resolved overseas in 2012, 14,938 (6.4%) were not processed within three weeks. The remaining 219,777 (93.6%) Tier 4 cases were completed within three weeks. The UK Border Agency service standard is to process 90% of visa applications within three weeks, so the service standard was exceeded in 2012.
	These data are based on internal UK Border Agency management information. They are provisional and subject to change.

Government Procurement Card

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) staff and (b) special advisers in her Department have use of a Government procurement card.

James Brokenshire: As of 1 January 2013, there were 596 staff that had use of a Government procurement card within the Home Department and its agencies. This figure has been almost halved since 2010, when the number of staff with Government procurement cards was at 1,082. Due to the way in which the data was collected in previous years, we do not have details for all agencies.
	No special advisers within the Home Department have use of a Government Procurement Card.

National Crime Agency: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on the operation of the National Crime Agency in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: We are committed to delivering a UK-wide crime fighting agency focused on tackling serious, organised and complex crime—including in Northern Ireland.
	In light of the Northern Ireland Executive's decision not to take forward legislative consent for the National Crime Agency, the Government is looking carefully at the provisions in Part 1 of the Crime and Courts Bill to see how they can best be modified so that the National Crime Agency will continue to tackle serious, organised and complex crime in Northern Ireland, focused on reserved/excepted activities so that the Bill does not require legislative consent.

Police: Weapons

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the introduction and use of the Orcutt Police Nunchaku by police services in England and Wales.

Damian Green: The Home Office, has made no assessment of the introduction and use of the Orcutt Police Nunchaku.

Seized Articles

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  with reference to the letter from the Minister for Immigration to the hon. Member for Witham of 15 November 2012 concerning a constituent Mr Andrew Ryman, whether officials will be instructed to (a) review the case and offer further compensation to Mr Ryman in relation to the wrongful seizure of his vehicle and (b) cover the full costs of repairing and recovering Mr Ryman's vehicle;
	(2)  how many people have had their (a) vehicles and (b) other property wrongfully seized by UK Border Force officials in each of the last five years; what the total value of (i) compensation and (ii) ex gratia payments made to such people was; and what the average time taken to settle each claim was;
	(3)  what steps she has put in place to ensure that all persons whose property is wrongfully seized by UK Border Force officials are promptly and fully compensated; and if she will make a statement.

Mark Harper: holding answer 12 February 2013
	Officials have reviewed Mr Ryman's case and have agreed to offer compensation for recovery of the vehicle and replacement of its battery. A reply was sent to my hon. Friend from Border Force on 11 February 2012.
	The figures for the number of successful challenges vehicles/goods do not differentiate between vehicles and goods, as such total figures provided confirm the success rate as follows:
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  Border force successful Client successful 
			 December 2010 to March 2011 90.48 9.52 
			 April 2011 to March 2012 90.49 9.51 
			 April 2012 to date 93.47 6.53 
		
	
	The total value of ex gratia payment figures are only available from April 2010, and in that period to date the total value of ex gratia payments was: £328,941.10.
	Responsibility for determining the lawfulness of vehicle and property (goods) seizures sits with magistrates court, with successful challenges dealt with by way of an order for dismissal, not wrongful seizure. We are unable to give an average time to settle each claim as this will depend on negotiations with individuals to settle on agreed amount for ex gratia payment. On receipt of this 'agreement' the National Post Seizure Unit would aim to process claim within five working days.

Violence Against Women and Girls Ministerial Group

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which Ministers are members of the Inter-Ministerial Group on violence against Women and Girls; on how many occasions this group has met since May 2010; and on how many occasions this group has discussed the provision of relationship education in schools.

Jeremy Browne: The Violence Against Women and Girls Inter-Ministerial Group is chaired by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), and has met on a quarterly basis since May 2010.
	The Members are:
	Home Secretary—Chair
	Minister for Crime Prevention
	Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Public Health
	Joint Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice and for Women and Equalities
	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families
	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Work and Pensions
	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and Government Spokesperson, Wales Office
	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Transport
	Spokesperson in the House of Lords on International Development and Government Whip
	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government
	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Department for International Development
	Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport; and Minister for Women and Equalities
	Solicitor-General
	Minister of State for Northern Ireland
	Minister of State for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans
	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	The aims of the meetings are to monitor progress against our cross-Government Action Plan, which includes actions on provision of relationship education in schools.

Violent and Sex Offender Register

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provisions are in place so that serious sex offenders are placed on the Violent and Sex Offenders Register if they have a conviction for a serious sexual offence that predates the Sex Offenders Act 1997.

Jeremy Browne: There are a range of legislative options available to the police to manage sex offenders. The police can apply for offenders convicted of an offence under Schedule 3 or 5 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 to be made the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) if that individual has demonstrated, since their conviction, that they pose a risk of serious sexual harm to the public. This includes individuals convicted prior to 1 September 1997.
	SOPOs are intended to protect the public from the risks posed by sex offenders by placing restrictions on their behaviour. Any individual subject to a SOPO will also be required to notify their personal details with the police (commonly referred to as the 'sex offenders' register) for the duration of the Order.

Atos Healthcare

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of (a) the Atos Healthcare average clearance target and (b) the performance of Atos against that target in (i) 2011 and (ii) 2012.

Mark Hoban: Atos Healthcare are not contractually accountable for a national employment and support allowance (ESA) target, contractually there are a number of Actual Average Clearance Targets (AACT) for the various medical services, varying in how they are measured between the Department and Atos Healthcare.
	The contracted service level is to clear ESA medical assessments with an AACT of 35 working days. Although there is no formal AACT for Incapacity Benefit Reassessments (IBR), DWP monitor performance against the same target for ESA. Please see following table for AACT performance from January 2011 to December 2012.
	
		
			  AACT 
			  ESA IBR 
			 January 2011 36.7 (1)— 
			 February 2011 33.3 (1)— 
			 March 2011 31.8 (1)— 
			 April 2011 33 (1)— 
			 May 2011 33.2 (1)— 
			 June 2011 34.5 29.2 
			 July 2011 38.6 36.9 
			 August 2011 42.6 41.9 
			 September 2011 49.7 42.7 
			 October 2011 57.1 42.7 
			 November 2011 62.8 43.3 
			 December 2012 63.9 43.0 
			 January 2012 65.0 43.4 
			 February 2012 67.5 43.6 
			 March 2012 63.0 43.4 
			 April 2012 58.9 44.4 
			 May 2012 58.7 43.2 
			 June 2012 56.6 43.5 
			 July 2012 53.5 44.1 
			 August 2012 52.0 45.1 
			 September 2012 51.7 46.1 
			 October 2012 48.9 43.9 
			 November 2012 46.7 41.3 
		
	
	
		
			 December 2012 45.4 40.7 
			 (1) No data available. Source: ESA AACT Clearance Distribution Reports (national) 
		
	
	Following the Department's acceptance of Professor Harrington's recommendations, the introduction of the Personal Summary Statement (PSS) in 2011 had a major impact on the Actual Average Clearance Target (AACT) for Work Capability Assessment clearances. The introduction of the PSS resulted in an increase to the Medical Standard Time, ie the time taken on average to conduct a face to face medical assessment, which reduced the capacity to deliver planned numbers of assessments.
	Following on from this, Atos Healthcare has continued to deliver a service which has seen a reduction in their performance against the clearance targets.
	DWP and Atos Healthcare meet formally on a monthly basis to discuss performance and agree improvement activity with the aim of achieving the 35 day AACT.

Housing Benefit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the effect on overall housing benefit spending of households moving from the social rented sector to the private rented sector following the introduction of the under-occupancy penalty.

Steve Webb: This information is not available.
	The potential impacts on costs and savings of tenants leaving the property they are under occupying are complex and subject to a great deal of uncertainty. They depend partly on the accommodation to which the tenant moves and the accommodation from which the new tenant taking up their property comes.
	An assessment of behavioural change is included in the impact assessment which can be found at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011-ia.pdf

Housing Benefit

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people who are likely to apply to local authorities for the discretionary housing payment in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015 in (i) Glasgow North West constituency, (ii) Glasgow, (iii) Scotland and (iv) the UK.

Steve Webb: The information is not available.
	Guidance will be provided to local authorities on allocating discretionary housing payments however the funding is for them to use at their discretion based on local needs.

Housing Benefit

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what data was requested by his Department from local authorities to help inform the decision on the allocation of discretionary housing payment; and if he will publish any such data.

Steve Webb: No data was requested from local authorities.
	The basis on which the various elements of discretionary housing payment funds for 2013-14 were distributed to local authorities are described in a housing benefit circular, which can be found at
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/s1-2013.pdf

Housing Benefit

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the oral answer from the Prime Minister to the right hon. Member for Doncaster North of 6 February 2013, Official Report, columns 269-70, how much the Government has allocated as a contingency fund to help households adversely affected by new rules on under-occupancy; how much of this fund has been allocated to Hull; how many households in Hull he expects this sum to support; and what guidance he has issued to local authorities on how to distribute such funding.

Steve Webb: On top of the baseline funding of £20 million an additional £30 million has been distributed to local authorities across Great Britain as the Government's contribution to discretionary housing payments in 2013/14 for those affected by the under-occupancy charge. The amount distributed to the city of Kingston upon Hull was £284,436 and the number of households helped by this fund will depend on local authorities’ decisions on its use. Local authorities have discretion to spend up to 2.5 times the Government contribution in total.
	Guidance will be provided to local authorities on allocating discretionary housing payments however the funding is for them to use at their discretion based on local needs.

Independent Living Fund

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance he has given to local authorities on the protection of budgets for the Independent Living Fund once this fund is transferred to local authority control in 2015.

Esther McVey: Following the closure of the Independent Living Fund (ILF) on 31 March 2015, local authorities in England will have sole responsibility for meeting the eligible care and support needs of current ILF users, in line with their statutory responsibilities. The devolved Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will determine how ILF users in each of those parts of the UK are supported within their distinct care and support systems.
	The Government recognises the importance of making the transition as smooth as possible to avoid unnecessary disruption to ILF users' lives. DWP, the ILF and the social care sector in England will over the course of 2014 co-produce a code of practice, which will guide local authorities on how ILF users can best be supported through the transition and set out guidance on how local authorities can best support users through transition. The ILF will also work with the devolved Administrations to develop and communicate guidance where applicable.
	The devolved funding will be distributed proportionately between the local authorities in England and the devolved Administrations on the basis of the pattern of expenditure in 2014-15. From 1 April 2015 local authorities will be required to meet the care and support needs of former ILF users in line with their statutory duties to assess and fund care needs.
	From April 2013, the ILF will start to deliver a two-year programme of reviews to ensure that every user has individually-agreed arrangements in place for transferring their care packages to local authorities. This will ensure that local authorities have a clear picture of how ILF users' funding is being used and the outcomes being secured though their care packages.

Poverty: Children

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consideration his Department is giving to (a) the strategy A New Approach to Child Poverty published in April 2011, (b) the report of the Independent Review on Poverty and Life Chances undertaken by the right hon. Member for Birkenhead, (c) the outcomes of children and young people in the NHS Outcomes Framework and (d) the Government's commitments to the Europe 2020 strategy in its response to the measuring child poverty consultation.

Esther McVey: The consultation on new measures of child poverty closed on 15 February and we are now analysing responses before deciding on the next steps. We remain committed to tackling child poverty. Our new measures intend to identify the causes of poverty so that they may be directly addressed rather than simply attempting to treat the consequences. We remain committed to the Child Poverty Act, and are continuing to implement the 2011 strategy, which built on the report by the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr Field), in advance of the next one due in 2014.
	The Government is committed to eradicating child poverty and improving public health, and will ensure that any new measures of child poverty reflect the NHS Outcomes Framework effectively.
	The Government's commitment to the Europe 2020 strategy is in line with its commitment to the Child Poverty Act 2010, and to eradicating child poverty. We firmly believe that only by recognising and addressing the causes of child poverty can we ensure that children's lives are truly improved and eradicate child poverty.

Air Pollution

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of sources of emissions to air in the UK which are on a rising trend which are (a) particulates, (b) hexavalent chromium, (c) ammonia, (d) arsenic, (e) nitrogen dioxide, (f) black carbon and (g) hydrofluorocarbons; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 25 February 2013
	The UK Government compiles a National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI) annually. Air pollutants estimated through this inventory include (a) particulates, (b) chromium, (c) ammonia, (d) arsenic and (e) oxides of nitrogen. Emissions are not routinely estimated for hexavalent chromium or primary emissions of nitrogen dioxide. However, an inventory of black carbon is under development.
	The NAEI estimates for air pollutants are compiled following the guidelines published jointly by the European Environment Agency and UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollutants. Each year the inventory is updated with the latest data available. Emissions estimates of fine and coarse particulates (PM2.5 and PM10), ammonia, and oxides of nitrogen for the years up to 2011 were published as National Statistics on 18 December 2012. The remaining inventory data, including chromium and arsenic, were submitted to the UNECE on 15 February 2013 and are available on the UNECE website at:
	http://cdr.eionet.europa.eu/gb/un/cols3f2jg
	The UK data will be available in more detail from the NAEI website at:
	http://naei.defra.gov.uk
	The UK compiles an annual national inventory of greenhouse gas emissions, including hydrofluorocarbons, in accordance with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. As per the NAIE, this inventory is annually updated to include latest data available. Greenhouse gas emissions statistics for 1990 to 2011 were published on 5 February.
	Emissions of ammonia, arsenic and hydrofluorocarbons have risen slightly in recent years (although emissions of ammonia have remained within their NECD ceiling). However, there have been continued declines in emission for particles including black carbon, as well as declines in chromium and oxides of nitrogen.

Council Tax

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment his Department has made of whether the introduction of new higher council tax bands would require a revaluation.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 27 February 2013
	We have no plans to introduce new council tax bands. We have ruled out a revaluation in this Parliament. Notwithstanding, as Ministers have repeatedly observed (eg 20 November 2012, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA338), new council tax bands would require a council tax revaluation.
	This point was also made by Ministers in the last Administration, who when asked if re-banding would require a partial or full revaluation, noted that re-banding would not be practicable without a general revaluation (5 January 2010, Official Report, column 213W).
	The experience from Wales under the last Administration is instructive. The introduction of a new top council tax band in Wales in 2005 (‘Band I’) went hand in hand with revaluation. The revaluation and re-banding saw four times as many homes move up one or more bands as move down. Many homes jumped multiple bands upwards, and the new Band I contained homes from amongst all of the previous lower bands, reflecting the fact that one cannot just split an existing top band or bands. The biggest increase in the tax burden fell on homes originally in Bands A to C.
	Unlike business rates or the old domestic rates, council tax is a banded system that does not require precise valuations of each property. There has been no legislative requirement for listing officers to calculate point valuations of each dwelling. As Ministers explained when council tax was established:
	‘the Government take the view that the individual valuation of dwellings for the council tax would be unnecessary, expensive and, because of the spurious accuracy of such valuations—in other words, within a band—vulnerable to unwarranted appeals’
	(21 January 1992, Official Report, House of Lords, column 794), Consequently, one cannot reliably tell how or where an existing band or bands could be split or changed without a full revaluation.
	Re-banding without revaluation would also fail to take into account relative changes in property prices, and fail to consider material changes in properties since the last valuation. It would lead to a situation where identical homes with the same (new) capital value fell into different bands in the new system, discrediting the whole exercise, leading to a mass of appeals and challenges, and creating a fundamental unfairness about the arbitrary and capricious nature of the new tax regime.
	Indeed, as Adam Smith asserted in “The Wealth of Nations”, before noting the inequities of an additional new tax on the taxpayers of Montauban without a fresh valuation,
	“The tax which each individual is bound to pay ought to be certain, and not arbitrary... Where it is otherwise, every person subject to the tax is put more or less in the power of the tax-gathered, who can either aggravate the tax upon any obnoxious contributor, or extort, by the terror of such aggravation, some present or perquisite to himself. The uncertainty of taxation encourages the insolence and favours the corruption of an order of men who are naturally unpopular, even where they are neither insolent nor corrupt.”

Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of funding available under the Housing Guarantee Scheme he expects to be allocated to affordable housing.

Mark Prisk: There are two housing guarantee schemes: the Affordable Housing Guarantee scheme and the Private Rented Sector Guarantee scheme. £3.5 billion has been made available for each, with £3 billion held in reserve for allocation to either scheme depending on demand. These figures are indicative. Moreover, the total of £10 billion is a limit, not a target.
	The Affordable Housing Guarantee is also supported by up to £225 million capital grant, and additional asset management flexibilities along the same principles as the 2011-15 Affordable Homes programme. The prospectus for this fund was published on 27 February and can be found at:
	www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/ourwork/affordable-homes-guarantees-programme

Housing: Older People

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the success of the New Deal for Older People announced in his Housing Strategy of November 2011; and what further measures are planned as part of this New Deal;
	(2)  what analysis his Department has undertaken on the role of specialist housing for older people in reducing adult social care costs for local authorities; and what steps he is taking to encourage the development of this form of accommodation.

Mark Prisk: In 2011, the Government outlined its new deal for older people's housing in “Laying the Foundations: A housing Strategy for England”. Since publication, the Government have published the National Planning Policy Framework and we have invested in FirstStop's National Service to provide information and advice to help people make informed choices on their housing and care options in later life. In addition, the Government continues to fund the Disabled Facilities Grant and provide funding for Handypersons services which supports elderly people to remain at home longer. Over the last two years, the Government injected a further £60 million into the Grant.
	An analysis of the role of specialist housing can be found in the Department's Lifetime Neighbourhoods report which showcases how local authorities and their partners can design and make changes to neighbourhoods to ensure that they take account of the changing needs of older people throughout their lives. The report can be accessed at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lifetime-neighbourhoods--2
	The Department has also published research on the costs and benefits of lifetime homes and also published the independent evaluation of handypersons services by the University of York in January 2012. The independent evaluation shows that these services offer value for money, enabling older people to live independently and alleviating the need for other more costly services.
	Other measures to stimulate the development of more specialist housing options for older people include the Government setting up a new care and support housing fund, which will provide £300 million of capital funding from 2013-14 to 2014-15 to encourage providers to develop new specialist accommodation options for older people.
	The National Planning Policy Framework, which was published on 27 March 2012, asks local planning authorities to ensure that their local plan meets the full, objectively assessed needs for market and affordable housing in their housing market area. Local planning authorities should as a result deliver a wide choice of homes and plan for a mix of housing based on demographic trends and the needs of different groups in the communities, such as older people.

Xfor Group

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the behaviour of Xfor in giving on-the-spot fines.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 11 February 2013
	My Department has not made an official assessment, but I am aware that this issue has attracted widespread public concern. I would make the following observations:
	Those who harm the environment by shamelessly littering and fly-tipping should be brought to book.
	However, councils should not be using residents as cash cows and should not be persecuting people for petty or insignificant breaches.
	It is not in the public interest to issue a fixed penalty notice where there is not clear evidence that the individual intended to cause litter.
	Enforcement action is better targeted at problem areas, rather than applied across a whole local authority area.
	The issuing of fixed penalty notices or fines is a quasi-judicial matter. Commercial contracts which are based on the volume of penalties issued, or on a fixed amount of revenue to be raised, are likely to undermine public confidence in a fair judicial system and potentially undermine the quality of justice itself. Indeed, this principle is recognised in guidance to councils on parking fines: 'Performance and rewards/penalties should never be based on the number of Penalty Charge Notices, immobilisations or removals' (DFT, ‘Operational Guidance to Local Authorities: Parking Policy and Enforcement’, November 2010, para 4.12).
	Where external contractors are used, ultimately, the responsibility still lies with the local authorities to ensure that legal powers are exercised fairly and reasonably and civil liberties are respected; councillors should regularly scrutinise the operation of such contracts; and the broader use of such powers must command and continue to command public support.
	There are many other ways for councils to tackle litter, such as the use of warnings, education campaigns, the helpful provision of litter bins and the regular collection of rubbish bins by the local authority.

Family Courts

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to improve transparency in the family courts.

Helen Grant: The Government believes that there is a need for greater openness in the operation of the family courts. We have already made considerable improvements by publishing much more information about local court performance. In line with the recommendation of the Justice Select Committee, flawed legislation to open up the family courts to media scrutiny is being repealed, however, we are carefully considering other options to allow for greater openness while respecting the parties right to privacy. Our objective is to use the creation of the new Single Family Court as an opportunity to correct the perception that family courts are unjustifiably secret.

Repossession Orders

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many homes were repossessed in (a) Pendle constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK in each of the last five years.

Helen Grant: The following table shows the numbers of claims leading to orders for the repossession of property by mortgage lenders and landlords in (a) Pendle constituency (b) Lancashire county and (c) England and Wales between 2008 and 2012. The Ministry of Justice hold information for England and Wales and not the United Kingdom.
	The table also shows the number of claims leading to the repossession of property by county court bailiffs in England and Wales.
	Information regarding the repossession of property by county court bailiffs is not available for Pendle constituency or for Lancashire county. Information is also not held on the total number of repossessions as these can occur without a court order, such as where borrowers hand the keys back to the lender. Also, not all possession orders result in repossession. Many orders are suspended and if the borrower complies with the repayment arrangements set out in the suspended order the property will not be repossessed.
	Information on the number of claims leading to orders made is more accurate than the number of orders, removing the double-counting of instances where a single claim leads to more than one order. It is also a more meaningful measure of the number of homeowners who are subject to court repossession actions.
	The most recent data for claims leading to orders figures for all regions and local authority areas in England and Wales were recently published on 14 February 2013. This statistical bulletin is available from the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/civil-justice/mortgage-possession.htm
	In addition statistics on mortgage and landlord possession claims leading to orders made in the county courts of England and Wales, 2000-11—breakdown by parliamentary constituencies is available in the House of Commons Library.
	
		
			 Number of mortgage(1) and landlord(2, 3 )possession claims leading to orders and repossession(4, 5, 6) for properties in (a) Pendle constituency (b) Lancashire county and (c) England and Wales(7, 8 )between 2008-12 
			 Mortgage possession claims leading to: 
			  (a) An order being made (b) Repossession by county court bailiff 
			  Pendle constituency Lancashire county England and Wales England and Wales 
			 2008 229 2,854 111,763 35,392 
			 2009 181 1,850 72,235 32,208 
			 2010 154 1,462 56,968 23,425 
			 2011 140 1,615 55,218 25,185 
			 2012 108 1,304 44,331 19,564 
		
	
	
		
			 Landlord possession claims leading to: 
			  (a) An order being made (b) Repossession by county court bailiff 
			  Pendle constituency Lancashire county England and Wales England and Wales 
			 2008 56 1,699 100,813 31,933 
			 2009 62 1,452 92,894 27,783 
			 2010 62 1,404 90,842 27,730 
			 2011 58 1,438 97,815 31,556 
			 2012 69 1,420 103,330 33,813 
			 (1) Includes all types of mortgage lenders. (2) Includes all types of landlord whether social or private. (3) Landlord actions include those made under both standard and accelerated procedures. Landlord actions via the accelerated procedure enables the orders to be made solely on the basis of written evidence for short hold tenancies, when the fixed period of tenancy has come to an end. (4) The number of claims that lead to an order includes all claims in which the first order, whether outright or suspended, is made during the period. (5) The court, following a judicial decision, may grant an order for possession immediately. This entitles the claimant to apply for a warrant to have the defendant evicted. However, even where a warrant for possession is issued, the parties can still negotiate a compromise to prevent eviction. (6) Includes outright and suspended orders, the latter being where the court grants the claimant possession but suspends the operation of the order. Provided the defendant complies with the terms of suspension, which usually require the defendant to pay the current mortgage or rent instalments plus some of the accrued arrears, the possession order cannot be enforced. (7) Due to constituency boundary changes after 6 May 2012 UK parliamentary general election, the figures prior to 2010 Q1 (January-March) are based on the old boundaries. (8) All 2012 figures are provisional. Source: Ministry of Justice

Repossession Orders

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many mortgage repossessions there have been in (a) each local authority in the UK and (b) City of Chester constituency in each quarter since 2007.

Helen Grant: The following table shows the numbers of claims leading to orders for the repossession of property by mortgage lenders and landlords in City of Chester between 2007 and 2012.
	Information is not held on the total number of repossessions as these can occur without a court order, such as where borrowers hand the keys back to the lender. Also, not all possession orders result in repossession. Many orders are suspended and if the borrower complies with the repayment arrangements set out in the suspended order the property will not be repossessed.
	Information on the number of claims leading to orders made is more accurate than the number of orders, removing the double-counting of instances where a single claim leads to more than one order. It is also a more meaningful measure of the number of homeowners who are subject to court repossession actions.
	The Ministry of Justice hold information for England and Wales and not the United Kingdom. The most recent data for claims leading to orders figures for all regions and local authority areas in England and Wales were recently published on 14 February 2013. Information is also available regarding the number of repossessions by county court bailiffs for England and Wales. This statistical bulletin is available from the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/civil-justice/mortgage-possession.htm
	In addition statistics on mortgage and landlord possession claims leading to orders made in the county courts of England and Wales, 2000-11—Breakdown by Parliamentary Constituencies is available in the House of Commons library.
	
		
			 Number of mortgage(1) and landlord(2,3) possession claims leading to orders and repossession(4,5,6) for properties in City of Chester constituency in each quarter(7,8) between 2007 and 2012 
			  Mortgage possession claims leading to: 
			  (a) an order being made 
			  Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total 
			 2007 30 30 10 45 115 
			 2008 30 55 45 30 165 
			 2009 15 20 30 15 80 
			 2010 20 20 20 15 75 
			 2011 18 13 16 10 57 
			 2012 24 9 13 18 64 
		
	
	
		
			  Landlord possession claims leading to: 
			  (a) an order being made 
			  Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total 
			 2007 20 20 45 35 120 
			 2008 30 30 40 20 115 
			 2009 15 30 30 35 110 
			 2010 30 30 30 30 120 
			 2011 30 30 33 31 124 
		
	
	
		
			 2012 18 24 23 28 93 
			 (1) Includes all types of mortgage lenders. (2) Includes all types of landlord whether social or private. (3) Landlord actions include those made under both standard and accelerated procedures. Landlord actions via the accelerated procedure enables the orders to be made solely on the basis of written evidence for shorthold tenancies, when the fixed period of tenancy has come to an end. (4) The number of claims that lead to an order includes all claims in which the first order, whether outright or suspended, is made during the period. (5) The court, following a judicial decision, may grant an order for possession immediately. This entitles the claimant to apply for a warrant to have the defendant evicted. However, even where a warrant for possession is issued, the parties can still negotiate a compromise to prevent eviction. (6) Includes outright and suspended orders, the latter being where the court grants the claimant possession but suspends the operation of the order. Provided the defendant complies with the terms of suspension, which usually require the defendant to pay the current mortgage or rent instalments plus some of the accrued arrears, the possession order cannot be enforced. (7) Due to constituency boundary changes after the 6 May 2012 UK parliamentary general election, the figures prior to 2010 Q1 (January to March) are based on the old boundaries. (8) Figures between 2007 and 2010 are rounded to the nearest five and may not sum due to rounding. All 2012 figures are provisional Source: Ministry of Justice

Sexual Offences

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many (a) victims and (b) witnesses in sexual assault cases who gave evidence in court in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012 received counselling support;
	(2)  how many (a) victims and (b) witnesses in rape cases who gave evidence in criminal trials in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012 were advised not to receive counselling;
	(3)  how many (a) victims and (b) witnesses in rape cases who gave evidence in criminal trials in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012 received counselling support.

Helen Grant: The data requested are not recorded by the Ministry of Justice or Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service.
	Rape and sexual violence are devastating crimes and the Government is committed to ensuring that victims and witnesses have access to the support they need. The MOJ is providing over £3.2 million of funding for rape support services in 2012-13. We will consult on a revised Victims' Code this spring. The draft code is intended to give victims clearer entitlements and to better tailor support services to individual need, including for victims of rape and sexual violence.

Small Claims

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the annual budget of the small claims court has been in each of the last 10 years.

Helen Grant: England and Wales does not have a separate small claims court. Small claims are those claims with a value of no more than £5,000 and which are allocated to the small claims track of the county court. HMCTS does not allocate budgets or keep separate records of expenditure for these types of claims.
	The cost of small claims is included in the costs of civil business reported in a note in the annual report. Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service, HMCTS, has no court cost statistics prior to the creation of Her Majesty's Courts Service on 1 April 2005, Details of the total civil business expenditure since April 2005 are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Civil business expenditure (£) 
			 2005-06 555,911 
			 2006-07 626,381 
			 2007-08 607,721 
			 2008-09 616,443 
			 2009-10 619,004 
			 2010-11 612,503 
			 2011-12 594,444 
		
	
	Further information on expenditure is available in the HMCS (2005-06 to 2010-11) and HMCTS (2011-12) annual reports and accounts which can be found at:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110218200720/http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/cms/8592.htm
	and
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/corporate-reports/hmcts

Telephone Preference Service

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions his Department has held with the Information Commissioner's Office on encouraging the greater use of enforcement action against companies breaching Telephone Preference Service regulations.

Edward Vaizey: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
	I met with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), Ofcom and TPS last July and also had a further meeting with ICO and Ofcom last month to discuss enforcement action against nuisance calls. In those discussions I pressed for further improvements to be made, particularly in terms of more effective enforcement action against companies that breached the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) rules. Consequently, ICO increased the resources devoted to enforcement of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) 2003 and on 28 November 2012 served monetary penalties totalling £440,000 to two illegal marketers responsible for distributing millions of spam texts. ICO also published on its website a list of the most complained about companies that make calls to TPS registered consumers. If the companies rail to remedy their actions, then they could race further enforcement action. Furthermore, ICO is currently considering issuing substantial penalties to three other companies for making calls to TPS registered consumers. I welcome this kind of robust action and expect ICO to continue with similar measures against other companies as well.

Young Offenders: Rehabilitation

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what provisions are in force to support young offenders upon their leaving the secure youth estate and returning to mainstream society.

Jeremy Wright: Young people leaving the youth secure estate receive resettlement support from their relevant local authority youth offending team. Plans for resettlement form part of the training plan developed with the young person in custody, based on his or her individual needs and aspirations. We have been working with the Youth Justice Board to promote the use of regional resettlement consortia which link youth offending teams, together with the secure estate, to other local authority and voluntary services to plan and deliver enhanced resettlement support. From February this year, young offenders aged 16 and 17 years released from custody who are not in school, college or work with training are also eligible for help under the Youth Contract to return to education or training.
	As part of our consultation on ‘Transforming Youth Custody—Putting education at the heart of detention’ (Cm8564), which runs to 30 April, we are inviting views on how models for secure colleges should support young people leaving custody.

Government Departments: Telephone Services

David Hanson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will instigate a review of Government call centres to examine (a) the number of (i) repeat calls and (ii) transferred calls and (b) the cost to the public purse of handling calls in this fashion.

Nick Hurd: The Government's digital by default approach will transform the delivery of public services. We want digital services which are so easy to use that people will avoid offline channels. Our digital strategy, published in December, outlines the steps we are taking to achieve this. For some services the average cost of a digital transaction is almost 20 times lower than that of a telephone transaction.
	We have outlined our approach to digitising services in our Digital Strategy. There are no plans to instigate a separate review of Government call centres.

Productivity

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the level of productivity of British workers was in (a) 1983, (b) 1993, (c) 2003 and (d) 2012.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated February 2013
	.
	Productivity, also known as Output per Worker, can be derived as the ratio of Gross Value Added and number of workers (from the Labour Force Survey). Gross Value Added figures were published on 27 February as part of the ONS statistical bulletin “2(nd) Estimate of Gross Domestic Product”.
	Number of workers is measured as ‘All in employment' which includes employees, the self employed, unpaid family workers and those on Government supported training and employment programmes. This data is published in the ONS statistical bulletin “Labour Market” on 20 February.
	
		
			 Output per UK worker by year (2009=100) 
			  Output per worker 
			 1983 61.1 
			 1993 76.4 
			 2003 95.9 
			 2012 101.1 
		
	
	GDP
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/naa2/second-estimate-of-gdp/q4-2012/stb-second-estimate-of-gdp-q4-2012.html
	Labour Force Survey
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lms/labour-market-statistics/february-2013/statistical-bulletin.html

Alcoholic Drinks

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate she has made of the level of alcohol-related absenteeism in her Department; whether her Department has an (a) internal alcohol policy and (b) occupational health strategy; and if she will publish such documents.

Michael Penning: My Department, as it is now configured following the devolution of policing and justice functions in April 2012, has no recorded occurrences of alcohol-related absenteeism.
	Staff employed by my Department are on the terms and conditions of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). All absences are dealt with on a case by case basis. As appropriate, staff are offered support in line with the MOJ Managing Attendance Policy and Alcohol and Drug Policy.

Cycling

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress her Department has made on implementing the Cycle to Work guarantee.

Theresa Villiers: The Cycle to Work guarantee is a voluntary initiative and, while my Department has not formally signed-up to it, staff have been made aware of the scheme and are able to access details about it via the Ministry of Justice. When appropriate, my Department does take opportunities to promote the Cycle to Work scheme to staff.

Immigration

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the potential level of immigration to Northern Ireland from Bulgaria and Romania when transitional controls expire in January 2014.

Michael Penning: This is a matter for the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), who regularly monitors and analyses overall migration data to help inform policy decisions and which works closely with other Government Departments on these issues.
	The Government believes, like the independent Migration Advisory Committee, that forecasts of likely inflows from Romania and Bulgaria once restrictions are lifted are unlikely to be either sensible, or helpful to policymakers. Rather than produce speculative forecasts, the Government's priority is to cut out abuse of free movement and address pull factors such as access to benefits and public services.

Energy Supply

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the CIBSE Annual Lecture 2012, Will GB's lights stay on and will the gas keep flowing: a look at the next decade?

John Hayes: I have considered the CIBSE annual lecture.
	DECC commissioned Ofgem to assess gas security of supply last year and their report was published in November and was reflected in the lecture. This report showed the UK's gas supply picture to be robust, but highlighted a need to consider whether there is a case for intervening in the gas market to encourage gas supply security, over and above Ofgem's work to incentivise shippers to improve their supply arrangements. DECC is considering the case for intervention and will make an announcement this spring.
	I published my response to the Ofgem electricity capacity assessment in November 2012
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statutory-security-of-supply-report-2012
	The Government is taking action to ensure the UK economy continues to enjoy high levels of security of electricity supply in the short, medium and long-term. Our comprehensive proposals for Electricity Market Reform will drive investment, ensuring that we have a diverse mix of energy sources. These proposals include legislating for a Capacity Market to ensure we have sufficient reliable capacity on the system in the long-term.
	Government has a clear strategy for how it will continue to deliver energy security, as set out in our Energy Security Strategy, published in November:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-security-strategy

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on how many occasions (a) he and (b) officials of his Department have (i) met with representatives of and (ii) visited local communities affected by the proposed Hinkley Point C development.

John Hayes: Ministers and officials have regularly met with representatives of communities near Hinkley Point and visited the area. The Department has also established the Hinkley Strategic Development Forum which meets in Somerset and aims to maximise the growth and local employment opportunities arising from any development at Hinkley Point.
	In all such discussions Ministers and officials avoid any consideration of the merits of EDF's application for development consent to build a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point, on which the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), is due to make the final decision by 19 March.

Nuclear Power Stations

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether (a) carbon floor price support, (b) contracts for difference support, (c) underwriting of accident liability over a defined amount, (d) underwriting of long-term waste storage and monitoring which go beyond any funded agreement or in the event of that agreement failing and (e) underwriting of construction costs for new nuclear power stations have been judged to (i) constitute and (ii) not constitute state aid under EU rules and on which a definitive opinion has not yet been obtained.

John Hayes: The Government, like all other EU member states, is bound by EU state aid rules and is designing policies and institutional arrangements to be consistent with those rules. As such, I can confirm that we are working with the European Commission to ensure that our policies are compliant with state aid rules, where we consider these have state aid implications. In order to maintain effective working relationships with the Commission we cannot provide a running commentary on the progress of these discussions.

Staff

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff his Department employed in each of the past five years; how many such staff were employed in London; how many such staff were employed in other regions of England; how many posts moved from London to these regions; and what steps he is taking to move his staff to regional offices.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was created in October 2008. Therefore there is no data prior to that date.
	The data in the following table shows the number of civil servants, working in DECC at 31 March for each year and those based in London and those in our regional office in Scotland.
	
		
			  2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 London — 950.32 1,085.5 1,195.71 
			 Aberdeen — 71.5 76.56 90.3 
			 Total 768.1 1,021.82 1,162.06 1,286.01 
		
	
	DECC has no immediate plans to move any additional staff to regional offices but continues to keep the location of staff under review.
	The data in the table above shows staff in full-time equivalent (fte). The total number of staff shown for 2009 is the average number of staff used throughout the period as shown in the department's annual report and resource account 2008-09 as a detailed location breakdown of staff in March 2009 is not held.

Aerospace Industry

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK aerospace industry's development of microwave propulsion technology such as EmDrive is able to keep up to date with Chinese developments.

David Willetts: While there remains some considerable doubts about this particular idea, the Government is investing more than £250 million a year in space technology including advanced electric propulsion.

Energy: Industry

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 11 February 2013, Official Report, column 544W, on energy: industry, what the timetable is for producing an energy intensive industrial strategy.

Michael Fallon: We are committed to ensuring that energy intensive industries remain competitive during the shift to a low carbon economy. This is why we have secured £250 million to help ease the impact. In addition, we announced that we will reduce the impact of electricity prices rising as a result of electricity market reform policies on electricity intensive industries, where this significantly impacts their international competitiveness and subject to consultation and state aid considerations.
	We are currently considering a proposal from the Environmental Audit Committee for an energy intensive industry strategy. We are in discussion with DECC on how we might draw on current work, including on sector specific low carbon roadmaps, to address this.

Industrial Disputes

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the (a) direct and (b) indirect costs to the UK economy of working days lost to industrial action in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012.

Jo Swinson: Industrial action has many different types of effect, not only on those workers or firms directly involved, and not only at the time industrial action takes place. It is difficult to measure impacts accurately, including taking account of use of alternative services where they are available. As a result, there is no recognised measure for evaluating the overall economic impact of any given strike.
	The Office for National Statistics provides annual figures for working days lost due to strike action, as well as the number of stoppages and workers involved. It has provisionally estimated that 248,000 working days were lost due to labour disputes in 2012 which is equivalent to approximately nine days per 1,000 employees. The 10-year average for the period 2002 to 2011 is 764,900 working days lost per year.

New Businesses: Young People

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applications have been made in total under the start-up loans scheme to date; how many applications have been successful; how many applications are currently being assessed; how many applications have been rejected; how many successful applicants have drawn down funds; and if he will break down these figures by (a) gender, (b) region, (c) local authority area, (d) age and (e) start up loans delivery partner.

Michael Fallon: A total of 10,695 approaches have been made via the Start-Up Loans website. We do not record the number of approaches to delivery partners direct.
	Anecdotally, delivery partners report that around four inquiries in 10 will progress to pre-business support stages with one in four of those receiving a Start-up loan within around six weeks.
	Other applications, while not necessarily declined, require more support to get to finance readiness and do not progress within this timescale.
	As at 22 February, 1,509 applications for a start up loan have been successful and 202 applications are currently being assessed for a credit decision by our partners. Of the 1,509 successful applicants, 814 have drawn down their loan.
	The breakdown of data to date on drawn down loans from delivery partners is as follows:
	(a) Gender:
	Male: 63%
	Female: 37%
	(b) Region:
	London: 27%
	West midlands: 15%
	North-west: 12%
	Yorkshire: 9%
	South-west: 8%
	North-east: 8%
	East England: 8%
	South-east: 7%
	East midlands: 6%
	(c) Local authority area
	We do not record data broken down by local authority area.
	(d) Age:
	62% of loan recipients are aged 18-24
	38% of loan recipients are aged 25-30
	(e) Start-up loans delivery partner
	
		
			 Delivery partner Loans 
			 Biz Britain 4 
			 Bright Ideas Trust 7 
			 Brightside Trust 2 
			 Business Finance Solutions 93 
			 Business Support and Development 15 
			 Cloudspeed 17 
			 Community Development Finance Association 10 
			 Dreamstake Ltd 1 
			 East London SBC 17 
			 Elevation Networks 27 
			 Enterprise Loans East Midlands 13 
			 Fashion Angel 2 
			 Foundation East 11 
			 GLE One London 16 
			 Hull Business Development Fund 18 
			 Kaleidoscope 1 
		
	
	
		
			 Lets Do Business Group 35 
			 Norfolk and Waveney Enterprise Services 9 
			 North London Community Finance 50 
			 Original Upstarts 1 
			 Project North East 29 
			 Riverside Credit Union 5 
			 Rockstar Youth 102 
			 School for Start Ups 52 
			 Sheffield 1 
			 South West Investment Group 26 
			 Start Up Direct 49 
			 The Prince's Trust 160 
			 University of the Arts 1 
			 WSX Enterprise 2 
			 Yorkshire Coast Enterprise 5 
			 Young Britain 33

Postgraduate Education

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 22 January 2013, Official Report, columns 254-6W, on postgraduate education, how many first year postgraduate students enrolled on each type of higher education course in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on student enrolments at UK higher education institutions (HEIs). I will place in the Libraries of the House information on the number of UK domiciled first year postgraduate enrolments by region of domicile and institution at English HEIs for the academic years 2010/11 and 2011/12. As requested, the data have been broken down by type: taught and research.
	HESA published the Statistical First Release ‘Enrolments and Qualifications Obtained in Higher Education in the UK in 2011/12’ on 10 January 2013. The decline in postgraduate enrolments was caused by a reduction in part-time home provision. HEFCE explained this:
	The major contributing factor to the reduction in Part-time Postgraduate-Taught (PGT) student numbers in 2011/12 relates to postgraduate professional development (PPD) courses for teachers that, prior to 2011/12, would have been TDA-funded. With effect from the academic year 2011/12 the funding for this programme ceased.
	Further information is available at:
	https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/ppd_funding_manual_2011_12.pdf
	In addition, some institutions have made changes to their reporting practices in respect of some Part-time PGT students, which have also had an effect.
	Information for the 2012/13 academic year will become available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency in January 2014.

Public Appointments

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people he appointed to public bodies in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; (i) how many and (ii) what proportion of those appointees were (A) black or from an ethnic minority, (B) Hindu, (C) Muslim and (D) Chinese in each of those years; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: In 2010-11, BIS made 42 appointments to our public bodies of which one was from an ethnic minority background. 14 did not declare their diversity information. For the same period BIS reappointed 50 members to our public bodies of which one declared themselves from an ethnic minority with seven not declaring this information.
	In 2011-12, BIS made 66 appointments to our public bodies of which two were from an ethnic minority background and six did not declare their diversity information. For the same period BIS reappointed 55 members to our public bodies of which two declared themselves from an ethnic minority with 10 not declaring this information.
	The Commissioner for Public Appointments collates and publishes information on the number of appointments of candidates from ethnic minority backgrounds; however this information is not broken down by ethnic group.
	Copies of the 2010-11 and 2011-12 annual reports are available at:
	http://publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk
	Copies are available in the Libraries of the House.
	Appointments to public bodies are made on merit following a fair and open process.
	BIS, like other Government Departments, is keen to ensure that our public bodies should be representative of the population at large and that there is balance in terms of diversity.

Trade: Commonwealth

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what comparative assessment he has made of the level of trade between the (a) UK, (b) EU and (c) US, and Commonwealth countries in the last (i) year, (ii) five, (iii) 10 and (iv) 20 years.

Michael Fallon: Trade in Goods (in billions of US dollars at current prices) is shown in the following table, based on data from the UN COMTRADE database. Latest data is for 2011.
	The key Commonwealth trading partners for the UK are Canada and India, together accounting for around 30% of all UK-Commonwealth trade over the last twenty years.
	Around half of EU-Commonwealth trade is with the UK.
	Around 60% of US-Commonwealth trade is with Canada, followed by the UK (over 10% of the total).

Atrial Fibrillation

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what guidance he has given on the prescription of aspirin to treat and manage atrial fibrillation;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure that health practitioners and commissioners have up-to-date, evidenced based information of the anticoagulants available to treat atrial fibrillation.

Anna Soubry: The Department has not provided advice on the prescription of aspirin to treat atrial fibrillation (AF). The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) provides evidence based advice on the clinical and cost-effectiveness in the use of medicines. It is currently updating the existing clinical guideline on AF and plans to publish a quality standard on AF with the revised guideline in 2014. NICE is also in the process of updating the commissioning guidance on anticoagulation therapy services to take account of its recent guidance on the new oral anticoagulants, dabigatran etexilate (Pradaxa) and rivaroxaban (Xarelto); it aims to publish this update in April 2013.
	NHS Improvement is continuing to work with the cardiovascular networks and other key partners to provide advice and guidance on stroke prevention in AF. This work includes the continued development and roll-out of a simple audit tool to general practices in England. This enables general practitioners to identify those patients with AF who are currently prescribed aspirin to manage their risk of stroke and who would benefit from oral anticoagulant medicines. Over the last year, NHS Improvement has promoted the use of this tool at many educational events as well as the use of oral anticoagulant medicines over aspirin.

Cancer

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how the Friends and Family Test results will be used to improve the experience of cancer patients;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 5 November 2012, Official Report, column 467W, on cancer, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the results of the 2011-12 National Cancer Patient Experience Survey have been used to improve local cancer care and services.

Anna Soubry: The national report and 160 bespoke trust level reports from the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey 2011-12 were published in August 2012. These have been made widely available to drive and inform local service improvement. The trust level reports provide benchmarked data nationally and between teams so that priority improvement areas can be identified. We are aware that a number of trusts have produced action plans based on the results of the surveys.
	The National Cancer Action Team has been working with Cancer Networks to drive service improvements based on the results of the survey. This has included producing the report, ‘Improvements in cancer patient experience: how have they been made?’, which will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cancer Patient Experience Advisory Group on 8 March 2013, and then shared widely with trusts.
	We have encouraged stakeholders in the third sector to use the survey results to identify and share best practice in patient care and services to support service improvement activity. For example, Macmillan Cancer Support analysed the data, and published the 10 best and worst performing Trusts in England in 2012, which were also published in the second annual report of ‘Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer’ in December 2012. Macmillan also produced ‘Improving Cancer Patient Experience—A top tips guide’. This document can be found on the Macmillan website, and searching for the top tips guide in the toolbar.
	In addition, all the quantitative data from the survey has been sent to the National Data Archive at Essex university and is freely available for access by researchers to undertake a series of analyses under the rules of the archive.
	Patient experience is one of three domains of quality alongside effectiveness and safety. This Government is committed to encouraging services to be responsive to patient needs and experiences, and using feedback to make services truly patient-centred.
	The Friends and Family test will be implemented nationally from 1 April 2013 for all acute in-patient and accident and emergency (A&E) services. All in-patients and patients in A&E departments will be given the opportunity to answer the simple question ‘How likely are you to recommend our ward/A&E department to friends and family if they needed similar care or treatment'.
	The test is unique in that it provides frequent, fast (near-real time) feedback, which is comparable from both patients' and NHS staff perspectives. Alongside other feedback, the test will be used by: service providers as a tool for improvement; by commissioners and the public to hold services to account; and by patients to inform choice.
	Where a cancer patient is either an in-patient or discharged from an A&E department, they will be asked the Friends and Family test; however, the results will not be differentiated by patient diagnosis.

Carers: Kingston Upon Hull

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of registered carers in (a) Hull and (b) Kingston upon Hull North constituency.

Norman Lamb: The only regulated part of the social care workforce are social workers and nurses, occupational therapists and other therapists.
	The number of registered social workers employed by councils with adult social services responsibilities is published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre. Data is not collected at constituency level and is therefore presented for Hull council only and is at whole time equivalent (WTE) level and individual worker level. As at September 2011 there were around 60 WTE adult social workers in Hull, this equates to around 70 individual adult social workers employed.

Chronic Illnesses

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether a comparative assessment has been made of the quality of life of patients suffering from chronic pain who are not taking prescription medications compared to patients who are taking such medications; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: No such comparative assessment has been made, A number of forms of treatment may be appropriate for people with chronic pain, including physiotherapy and spinal manipulation, pharmaceutical treatments, and in some cases surgical treatments. In many cases of less severe chronic pain, it may be possible to achieve satisfactory pain relief without use of prescription-only medicines. People with chronic pain should be encouraged and supported in taking control of the management of their condition, including the choice of appropriate pain relief.

Direct Payments

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the take-up of direct payment has been in each local authority in London in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of whether local authorities in England and Wales will have all council-funded service users and carers (a) on personal budgets and (b) as recipients of direct payment by April 2013.

Norman Lamb: Official statistics on local authority care package provision for service users and carers, including data on personal budget and direct payment provision will be published later this year by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC).
	The latest figures published in February 2013 by the HSCIC are for the period 2011-12 and show:
	People receiving personal budgets and direct payments was 606,000 (up 38% from 2010-11 (446,000)) out of 1.4 million people receiving community-based services.
	Of these, 192,000 received a direct payment. (increase of 9% from 2010-11 (176,000)).
	National provision of personal budgets is 43% of users and carers (increase from 29.2% in 2010-11).
	The 2013 objective, agreed by the adult social care sector, was revised in November 2012 to 70% of people receiving services to be issued a personal budget nationally. This reflects the fact that personal budgets may not be suitable for some people (for example re-ablement services, and equipment). Councils are continuing to make progress in order to reach the 2013 objective.
	Take up (total numbers) of social service users receiving direct payments is collected by the HSCIC as part of the annual Referrals, Assessments and Packages of Care (RAP) collection from local authorities.
	The table shows four years of data rather than the stated three. The surplus year (2008-09) has been supplied due to changes in the way direct payments were recorded in 2009-10—the change in that year means that 2009-10 data is not comparable with other years.
	Data pre and post 2009-10 are comparable as the recording practice in 2009-10 was only used for one collection year.
	
		
			 Total number of service users receiving direct payments in each local authority in London in each of the last four years for the period 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12 
			  Date 
			  13 February 2013 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			   Direct Payments Existing and or New Direct Payments and Personal Budgets Payments Direct Payments Direct Payments 
			 London boroughs Barking and Dagenham 395 835 415 1,390 
			  Barnet 635 810 960 1,030 
			  Bexley 400 1,425 450 735 
			  Brent 515 955 740 460 
			  Bromley 385 745 435 405 
			  Camden 320 880 530 675 
			  City of London 20 65 70 100 
			  Croydon 385 590 530 560 
			  Ealing 460 860 580 870 
			  Enfield 435 1,205 770 1,115 
		
	
	
		
			  Greenwich 335 705 420 460 
			  Hackney 265 420 395 410 
			  Hammersmith and Fulham 255 370 380 450 
			  Haringey 300 400 525 725 
			  Harrow 620 1,065 860 910 
			  Havering 350 510 510 580 
			  Hillingdon 360 385 435 440 
			  Hounslow 380 505 485 635 
			  Islington 250 395 440 500 
			  Kensington and Chelsea 360 1,450 595 585 
			  Kingston-upon-Thames 265 395 240 250 
			  Lambeth 325 355 440 515 
			  Lewisham 455 485 620 855 
			  Merton 245 340 345 440 
			  Newham 465 855 935 985 
			  Redbridge 350 580 1,180 790 
			  Richmond upon Thames 425 1,285 565 500 
			  Southwark 220 510 335 945 
			  Sutton 425 535 415 435 
			  Tower Hamlets 260 340 400 505 
			  Waltham Forest 335 570 670 890 
			  Wandsworth 625 420 425 450 
			  Westminster 515 700 640 620 
			   
			 Age 18 + London total 12,335 21,945 17,735 21,220 
			 Notes: 1. Final 2011-12 data has been published on 15 February 2013—Measures from the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework for England 2011-12 Final. 2. The data relates to adults aged 18+ 3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 Source: P2f RAP proforma, HSCIC

Health Services: Learning Disability

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people with a learning disability are aware that they are entitled to an annual health check;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of GPs who offer annual health checks for people with a learning disability; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that these health checks are more readily accessible;
	(3)  what steps his Department is taking to promote annual health checks for people with learning disabilities; and what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of this issue;
	(4)  what plans his Department has for the level of funding for annual health checks for people with learning disabilities.

Norman Lamb: The Government is committed to ensuring continued arrangements for annual health checks for people with learning difficulties.
	That is why the arrangements for general practitioners to provide such checks are included in the Government’s proposals for changes to the General Medical Services contract for 2013-14.
	Under such arrangements, participating general practitioners are required to maintain a register of learning disability patients and offer an annual health check to each patient on that register. There is an incentive of £102.16 payable to general practitioners for each completed annual health check.
	The Department does not have a figure for the number of general practitioner practices offering this service. However, the Learning Disability Public Health Observatory published its report on the number of patients with learning disabilities receiving health checks during 2011-12. The total number of checks increased from 23% in 2008-09 to 53% in 2011-12.
	From April 2013, the NHS Commissioning Board will be responsible for commissioning primary medical services, including the arrangements for annual health checks for people with learning disabilities.

Heart Diseases: Babies

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he has given to rolling out pulse oximetry screening for all new-born babies.

Daniel Poulter: The UK. National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the national health service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation. Using research evidence, pilot programmes and economic evaluation, it assesses the evidence for programmes against a set of internationally recognised criteria.
	The UK NSC is currently reviewing the evidence for newborn screening for heart conditions using pulse oximetry against its criteria. A public consultation on the screening review will open shortly. Ministers expect to receive a recommendation from the UK NSC later this year.

Human Papillomavirus

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether the costs of treating all recorded serious adverse reactions will be taken into account when calculating the cost of the HPV vaccination programme;
	(2)  what the cost to his Department is of each HPV vaccination; and what the total cost was of the Cervarix vaccination programme between 2008 and 2012;
	(3)  whether schools are paid for carrying out the HPV vaccination programme.

Anna Soubry: The costs of treating any potential adverse reaction to the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, are not included in the costs of implementing the national HPV immunisation programme.
	The approximate total cost of the HPV programme between 2008 and 2012 is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Financial year Approximate programme costs (£ million) (excluding costs for the vaccine, storage and distribution) 
			 2008-09 24.2 
			 2009-10 46.1 
			 2010-11 9.3 
			 2011-12 8.9 
			 2012-13 7.8 
		
	
	Costs for financial years include funding provided to primary care trusts (PCT) to support the implementation of the programme, communication materials and advertising, except for 2011-12 and 2012-13, where no advertising was produced.
	The cost of HPV vaccine cannot be disclosed, as this information is commercially confidential. We estimate the cost of administering each dose, at £10 a dose.
	The routine HPV vaccination programme for girls aged 12-13 years ran in each financial year. In addition to this, in 2008-09 there was a catch up programme for those aged 17-18 years, and in 2009-10, a catch up programme for those aged 17-18 years, plus an accelerated catch up programme for those aged 14-16 years.
	Schools do not receive payment for allowing the HPV programme to be administered on their premises.

Medicine: Research

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on (a) cancer, (b) stroke, (c) coronary heart disease and (d) dementia research in each financial year since 2008-09.

Anna Soubry: The figures are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  Cancer Stroke Cardiovascular disease(1) Dementia 
			 2008-09 133.7 16.9 42.7 18.4 
			 2009-10 90.8 20.2 31.9 12.7 
			 2010-11 102.1 20.9 31.3 18.6 
			 2011-12 105.4 20.4 34.3 25.1 
			 (1) Figures for the Department's total expenditure on coronary heart disease research are not available separately. 
		
	
	The decrease in funding in 2009-10 reflects a more transparent and accurate method for assessing disease-specific research and development (R&D) spend.
	Prior to the establishment of the National Institute for Health Research in April 2006, the main part of the Department's total health research expenditure was devolved to and managed by national health service organisations.
	The NHS organisations reported on their use of these allocations in annual R&D reports, and each report included figures for research spend on cancer and on degenerative neurological disorders. These figures have been included in the Department's estimates of total annual spend respectively on cancer research and dementia research up to 2008-09.
	From April 2006 to March 2009, transitional research funding was allocated to these organisations at reducing levels. At the same time, ah increasing amount of NHS research funding was awarded competitively through new NIHR programmes and schemes.

Older People: Loneliness

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment his Department has undertaken of the effect of loneliness on the mental health of elderly people.

Norman Lamb: The Department has not undertaken an assessment on the effects of loneliness on the mental health of elderly people.
	The Department is working with organisations including the Campaign to end Loneliness, to understand the effects of loneliness and isolation, measure levels of social connectedness and to promote ways to tackle loneliness and isolation.
	One of the key areas for action on the Mental Health Strategy “No Health Without Mental Health” is to address the social and other determinants of mental ill health across all ages, and the inequalities that can both cause and be the result of mental health problems including, for example, social isolation, particularly among older people.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the adult population under 60 years old is exempt from paying prescription charges.

Norman Lamb: The following groups aged under 60 are exempt from national health service prescription charges, in England:
	Under 16
	Aged 16-18 And In Full Time Education
	In receipt of Income Support or Income Related Employment Support Allowance
	In receipt of Income Based Job Seeker’s Allowance
	Holders of a valid NHS Tax Credit Exemption certificate
	Holders of a valid Medical Exemption certificate
	Holders of a valid Maternity Exemption certificate
	Holders of a HC2 Certificate for the NHS Low Income Scheme
	Holders of a valid War Pension exemption certificate
	With a partner who is in receipt of Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
	Information is not held centrally on the proportion of adults, in England, under 60 with an exemption from these charges.

Social Services

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the additional cost to local authorities of delivering the deferred payment scheme for social care.

Norman Lamb: The Government has announced that from April 2015 all local authorities will offer deferred payments schemes.
	We will fund local authorities to help them offer the deferred payments. The funding required will depend on the scheme design and levels of uptake by the public.
	We will publish more detailed proposals and analysis during 2013.

Social Services: Learning Disability

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the ability of service users with learning difficulties to manage their direct payments for social care.

Norman Lamb: The Department has not made an assessment of the ability of people with learning disabilities to manage their direct payment. Direct payments offer people choice and control over how their care and support is provided. It is mandatory for local authorities to offer direct payments to people eligible for social care services who consent to, and are able to, manage payments.
	Local authorities are responsible for determining whether a person is capable of managing a direct payment. People can receive assistance in managing their payment and the Community Care, Services for Carers and Children's Services (Direct Payments) (England) Regulations 2009 allows direct payments to be made to a suitable person who receives and manages the payments on behalf of a person who lacks capacity.

Alcoholic Drinks

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the level of alcohol-related absenteeism in his Department; whether his Department has an (a) internal alcohol policy and (b) occupational health strategy; and if he will publish such documents.

Stephen Crabb: The Ministry of Justice generates sickness absence reports in relation to staff at the Wales Office. It does not separately record the level of alcohol-related absenteeism from wider sickness absence reporting. The Wales Office's alcohol policy and occupational health strategy is provided by the Ministry of Justice, who is the key employer of Wales Office staff. I understand that copies of the Ministry of Justice's policies and guidance in respect of alcohol and occupational health are being placed in the Library of the House.

Organs: Donors

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether his consent would be needed if the Welsh Government implemented its plans for an opt-out system of organ donation in Wales; and what discussions he has held with the Secretary of State for Health on this issue.

David Jones: Under the Government of Wales Act 2006, the UK Government can refer issues of legislative competence to the Supreme Court. With each Assembly Bill, the Government will have to consider the question of whether its provisions are within the competence of the Assembly. I consider in relation to each Bill, as was the case for Measures, whether any of its provisions might have an adverse impact on the law as it applies in England.

Banks: Loans

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress he has made in discussion with UK banks on achieving a commitment to collate and publish lending data that is disaggregated by institution and presented on a postcode-level basis; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Clark: holding answer 27 February 2013
	The Government agreed to work with the industry—through the British Bankers Association (BBA) and other interested parties—to secure a commitment from the banks that they will publish postcode level data by institution. If it is not possible to agree a satisfactory industry led solution, the Government agreed to introduce amendments to the Banking Reform Bill to ensure that the data is published.
	The Government are currently engaging in discussions on this issue and will provide an update once the discussions have reached a conclusion.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what authority his Department has given to the Department for Transport for spending related to the High Speed 2 project; if he will publish all correspondence with the Department of Transport on that matter; and if he will make a statement.

Danny Alexander: The Government has allocated expenditure to HS2 Ltd during the current spending review period to design and develop plans for the proposed high speed route between London and Birmingham in support of the Hybrid Bill, and then the second phase to both Manchester and Leeds.
	The Department for Transport is responsible for managing the resources allocated at the spending review within delegated spending limits.
	The spending review document was published in October 2010 and is available online at:
	http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sr2010_completereport.pdf
	Government Ministers and officials exchange routine correspondence as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such exchanges.

LIBOR

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  who has been appointed to the tendering panel for the process to establish the new Libor administrator; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the reasons are for the time taken in progressing the tendering process for the appointing of a new Libor administrator; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Clark: holding answer 27 February 2013
	The Government have been working with the British Bankers Association (BBA), the current administrator of Libor, to establish the process to appoint a new administrator. The work of the Hogg Committee, who will identify the appropriate successor, is now in progress following the passage of a Resolution by BBA members, voted upon at an extraordinary general meeting of the BBA held on 25 February. The Committee has formally launched the tendering process.
	The members of the Hogg Tendering Advisory Committee for LIBOR are as follows:
	Baroness Hogg, (Chair), Chairman, Financial Reporting Council;
	Paul Fisher, Executive Director, Markets; Bank of England;
	George Handjinicolaou, Deputy CEO and Head of EMEA; International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc;
	John Kingman, Second Permanent Secretary; HM Treasury;
	John Stewart, Chairman; Legal and General Group Plc;
	Colin Tyler, Chief Executive; Association of Corporate Treasurers;
	Martin Wheatley, Managing Director; Financial Services Authority.

Pensions

Frank Dobson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of people who will be covered by the proposed guarantee of pensioners' rights to public servants transferred to the private sector.

Danny Alexander: The Fair Deal policy protects the pension of public sector workers that are transferred to the private sector. It requires that where staff are compulsorily transferred out of the public sector, the new employer must provide a broadly comparable pension scheme for the transferred staff.
	The Government has committed to reform the Fair Deal policy by offering access to the public service pension schemes for newly transferring staff. The number of individuals that will be covered by the new policy will depend on the future number of staff transfers. The Government do not hold data on the number of staff that may be subject to such transfers in the future.

Alcoholic Drinks

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the level of alcohol-related absenteeism in his Department; whether his Department has an (a) internal alcohol policy and (b) occupational health strategy; and if he will publish such documents.

David Mundell: All Scotland Office staff are on secondment from other Government bodies, principally the Scottish Government and the Ministry of Justice, who remain their employers. All staff in the Office are covered by their parent bodies' absence management processes and alcohol-misuse policy. Staff also have access to an independent health care provider. While the Scotland Office maintains local absence records, there is no indication of any alcohol-related absences.

Referendums

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his department has had any discussions with the Scottish Government on the potential consequences for voters in Scotland of a UK general election or referendum occurring after a referendum in Scotland that produced a result in favour of Scottish independence but before any formal dissolution between the nations of the United Kingdom.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland, the right hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), has not had any discussions with the Scottish Government on the potential consequences for voters in Scotland of a UK general election or referendum occurring after a referendum in Scotland that produced a result in favour of Scottish independence but before any formal dissolution between the nations of the United Kingdom. The UK Government remains committed to the United Kingdom and we are confident that the people of Scotland will vote to remain a part of the UK.

Burma

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what information her Department holds on how much the Burmese government budgets for (a) health, (b) education and (c) the military were in 2012-13.

Alan Duncan: According to Government sources, health made up 3%, education 6%, and defence 16% of the total national budget in 2012-13.

Palestinians

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what processes are in place to ensure that UK-funded, EU-funded and UN-funded non-governmental organisations in the Palestinian Authority do not promote incitement against Israel and the West.

Alan Duncan: We deplore incitement on either side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including any comments that could stir up hatred and prejudice in a region that needs a culture of peace and mutual respect. UK, EU and UN funded non-governmental organisations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are subject to rigorous due diligence assessments to ensure that funds are used for legitimate development purposes.

Swaziland

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support her Department is giving to Swaziland; and what representations she has received on the development needs of Swaziland.

Lynne Featherstone: Swaziland does not receive any direct development funding from the UK. Swaziland does, however, benefit from some of DFID's Southern Africa regional programmes, including DFID's Regional Transboundary Water Project, which aims to improve the management of shared water resources in Southern Africa. DFID co-finances two renewable energy projects in Swaziland as part of the Scaling up of the Energy and Environment Partnership in Southern and East Africa.
	DFID funds several regional civil society programmes in Southern Africa which operate in Swaziland, including a £4.5 million grant to Save the Children for a five year programme on economic literacy and participatory budgeting, and a £4.2 million grant to GenderLinks for a five year programme supporting women to know and demand their rights.

Broadband

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to enable competition in the supply of superfast broadband services.

Edward Vaizey: The UK has a highly competitive broadband market. Ofcom is responsible for ensuring competition in telecommunication services and regularly carry out market reviews to assess this. In the superfast broadband market BT Openreach are required to ensure service providers can provide services over their network on an equivalence basis to BT Retail, with Talk Talk Group and Sky, two of the largest providers offering services. Virgin Media offer competition with superfast broadband available to nearly 50% of homes in the UK. In addition, all networks built using subsidy from the Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) rural programme will be required to offer open access, ensuring any provider can offer services to these networks on an equal basis. On 7 September, the Government also announced a series of measures to reduce the barriers to deployment of superfast broadband, reducing red tape and bureaucracy to enable communications providers to deploy competing networks.

India

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what contribution her Department made to the recent trade delegation to India led by the Prime Minister.

Hugh Robertson: My Department worked closely with the Prime Minister's office and other Government Departments on a range of issues addressed during his recent visit to India. We supported the announcement by the British Council of “Re-Imagine”, a new five year, £5 million arts programme which will stimulate a range of cultural exchanges and support a much-needed modern, mutual, UK-India relationship that is not relying on the past, but looking to the future.
	I was pleased that the British Library, the British Museum and the Premier League were able to join the Prime Minister's delegation, who were also joined during the visit by some members of the England Women's Cricket Team. We want to see a step change in cultural and sporting exchanges with India. We will see this reciprocal relationship flourish further during the Alchemy Festival at the Southbank Centre in London in April. These cultural exchanges also underpin our drive to boost exports in fashion, film and other creative industries. These exports, together with increasing levels of tourism from India, will contribute to the economic growth of the UK while enhancing our quality of life and enabling British audiences to experience the best contemporary art from India.

Television: Licensing

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the number of pensioners who will claim free television licences in (a) Glasgow North West constituency, (b) Glasgow, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK in (i) 2014, (ii) 2015 and (iii) 2016.

Edward Vaizey: The Government has made no estimate and does not hold relevant data. Although the BBC does not prepare forecasts for over 75 licences for any area smaller than the UK, it does prepare forecasts for financial years rather than calendar years, based on the trend in growth of Over 75 licences from year to year. The following figures have been rounded down to the nearest thousand. As with any forecasts, these figures are subject to change as new information becomes available.
	
		
			 O75 forecast volumes 
			  Estimated over O75 licences 
			 2013-14 3,937,000 
			 2014-15 3,971,000 
			 2015-16 4,009,000 
			 2016-17 4,044,000

Alcoholic Drinks

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the level of alcohol-related absenteeism in his Department; whether his Department has an (a) internal alcohol policy and (b) occupational health strategy; and if he will publish such documents.

Alistair Burt: We have made no estimate of alcohol-related absenteeism. While alcohol may be a contributing factor in some cases, individuals who self certify or GPs who provide fit notes are more likely to cite contributing conditions, such as stress, or resulting conditions, like liver disease, as the cause of the absence.
	I have placed a copy of the Alcohol Policy, which sets out our response to alcohol related incidents at work, in the Library of the House.
	While we do not have an occupational health strategy, occupational health advice is a central part of our package of health and welfare support to all staff.

Burma

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made on whether the Government of Burma has fully met the conditions required for the continued suspension of EU sanctions.

Hugo Swire: On 23 April 2012, EU Foreign Ministers agreed to suspend all EU Sanctions on Burma for one year, apart from the arms embargo and restrictions on the supply of equipment which could be used for international repression. This was in recognition of the significant progress made by the Burmese Government against the EU’s benchmarks as set out in Council Conclusions of January 2012. This included the release of a significant number of political prisoners; the signing of ceasefires with 10 of 11 major armed ethnic groups and the largely free and fair parliamentary by-elections on 1 April 2012.
	By 22 April this year, EU Foreign Ministers must consider whether to lift, suspend or re-impose sanctions on Burma. The decision by EU Foreign Ministers will be influenced by the Burmese Government's efforts to make further progress against remaining benchmarks. If unanimity cannot be reached, sanctions will fall away in their entirety.

Burma

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which repressive laws have been completely repealed in Burma.

Hugo Swire: The Burmese Government has emphasised that the establishment of rule of law is a priority, and has taken some steps in this regard. For example, in January this year they repealed a law limiting the right to associate in groups of more than four people. However, there are still many older laws on the statute books which can be used to curb individual liberties.
	The Burmese Parliament is currently undertaking an assessment of all of the country's laws, and its response for the most part has been to amend old laws (for example, recently the Bar Council Law was amended to allow 10 of 13 people on the Council to be elected, rather than appointed by the Attorney-General) rather than to fully repeal them.

Burma

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Burma regarding increased land confiscation in that country.

Hugo Swire: Since the suspension of EU sanctions in April 2012, the British Government has encouraged responsible trade and investment in support of Burma's democratic reform process. The British Government has provided funds to support the implementation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative in Burma, through which civil society and community leaders will be engaged in decisions over investments in the natural resources and extractives sectors.
	Neither the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), nor I have to date raised the specific issue of land confiscation with the Burmese Government.

Burma

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government is working with its EU counterparts on pushing for a regional Association of Southeast Asian Nations-led response to the refugee crisis resulting from ongoing sectarian violence in Rakhine state in Burma.

Hugo Swire: On 13 December 2012, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), discussed the situation in Burma with newly appointed Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretary-General, Le Luong Minh, during his visit to London. We have also discussed the issue bilaterally with Thailand and Indonesia.
	In October 2012, former ASEAN Secretary-General, Surin Pitsuwan, suggested that there should be an increased role for ASEAN to help Burma address the situation in Rakhine State. Unfortunately, the necessary consensus on this proposal could not be reached by ASEAN member states.
	The British Government has so far committed £2 million towards relief efforts in Rakhine State. Following my own visit to Rakhine State in December 2012, on 11 February I called on the international community to match the UK's efforts. We continue to work closely with international organisations, such as the EU and UN, to support the provision of humanitarian assistance to those people affected by inter-communal violence in Burma's Rakhine State.

Burma

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Government has had with the government of Thailand regarding reports that Thai officials have been selling Burmese refugees to trafficking criminals.

Hugo Swire: Through the European Union, the UK engages in ongoing discussions with Thailand across a range of migration related issues. In June 2012, the EU Delegation to Thailand jointly hosted a two day seminar on migration management with the Thai authorities. This encompassed specific discussions with representatives of the Royal Thai Police and relevant Ministries on tackling human trafficking and transnational organised crime.
	During the visit of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), to Thailand in November 2012, the UK agreed to provide capacity-building to Thailand on how best to tackle illegal migration. We will continue to co-operate with the Thai authorities on efforts to disrupt human trafficking and illegal migration. These issues will be included in the agenda for the first UK-Thailand Strategic Dialogue which I will lead later this year.

Burma

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking to encourage the government of Thailand to grant the UN High Commissioner for Refugees full and permanent access to conduct refugee screening for all Rohingya refugees fleeing from the sectarian violence in Rakhine state in Burma.

Hugo Swire: Our embassy in Bangkok regularly raises the issue of the Rohingya with the appropriate Thai authorities both bilaterally and through the European Commission, pushing for full and permanent access by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organisation for Migration to those Rohingya detained in Thailand.
	We continue to follow the issue closely, in close conjunction with UNHCR.

Training

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on training and education for civil servants in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has made strengthening the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) as an institution a priority, under the heading of ‘Diplomatic Excellence', a programme, which has the ambition of sustaining the FCO as the best diplomatic service in the world.
	This includes building up the skills and expertise of staff in languages, economic expertise, knowledge of individual countries, regions and cultures, and core diplomatic skills such as negotiation.
	For example, we are investing more in language training to make it more effective, including by:
	lengthening training programmes and increasing the number of speakers in key languages such as Arabic and Mandarin
	increasing the number of jobs overseas for which language skills will be an absolute requirement
	providing lunchtime and after-work classes, and e-learning resources to ensure that speakers can develop and maintain skills while on home postings
	The FCO employs approximately 14,000 staff worldwide, made up of UK-based civil servants and locally engaged (LE) staff. Approximately 80% of FCO staff are based overseas which is why we invest in providing L&D overseas.
	The FCO spent approximately £20.8 million in 2010-2011 and £18.7 million in 2011-12 on L&D for its work force. On a more limited definition, spend on training and education courses in the UK was £12.1 million and £9.8 million respectively.
	This is the first time that we have been able to report our best estimates of the full costs for the FCO as a result of improved financial reporting.
	We continue to emphasise value for money in L&D provision: this includes the full use of central Civil Service Learning resources, savings through re-procurement, a greater emphasis on workplace learning and the more effective use of evaluation.

Marriage

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what measures she plans to introduce to ensure protection for religious groups whose opposition to same sex marriage ceremonies in their premises is challenged via the European Court of Human Rights.

Helen Grant: As the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and Minister for Women and Equalities made clear at the Second Reading of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, the Bill contains full protection against successful legal challenge of a religious organisation's refusal to conduct a marriage of same sex couples.
	The Bill contains a quadruple lock of religious protections which deliver on this commitment. No religious organisation will be allowed to solemnize marriages of same sex couples according to its rites or on its premises unless the governing authority of the organisation has formally chosen to "opt in". It is clearly provided in the Bill that no religious organisation can be compelled to “opt in”. So any challenge in the European Court of Human Rights would be brought against the Government, not the religious organisation. Even if an organisation does opt in, no minister of religion (or person involved in the solemnization) can be compelled to take part. We have made separate arrangements to protect the Church of England and the Church in Wales because of their unique legal positions.